


Drabble: Luna. Love. Good.

by raemanzu



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Asexual Character, F/F, Gen, Platonic Romance, Romantic Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-26
Updated: 2014-03-26
Packaged: 2018-01-17 02:56:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1371370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/raemanzu/pseuds/raemanzu
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Just a little something sweet I wrote for my friend Marshall</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drabble: Luna. Love. Good.

**Author's Note:**

> Takes place during Deathly Hallows, while Luna, Ginny, and Neville are in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid as punishment for trying to steal Gryffindor's Sword

Hagrid tossed another log on the fire; Ginny recoiled as sparks flew wildly and went out mere inches from her face.

“Might as well make the best of it,” Hagrid muttered with forced cheer as he settled onto a rock across from them. In his lumpy coat he looked a bit like a mossy boulder himself. “Told Professor Snape I’d have you lot helping me tend a sick Blast-Ended Skrewt. Y’know, the ones we let loose out here after the Triwizard Tournament’ve had babies now. Got their own little colony.”

“That’s great, Hagrid,” Neville yawned, covering his split lip with one bruised hand. “Con…congratulations.”

“Wish I could turn ‘em loose on the Carrows,” Hagrid sighed. “But it wouldn’t be fair to the poor beasts. Those heartless devils’d kill ‘em on sight.”

Nobody said anything to this. The Forbidden Forest was oddly silent—none of the usual odd or ominous noises haunted the air. Luna was seated on a log between Ginny and Neville, both of them sitting close against her. It felt good and warm… safer than anywhere in the castle. For a moment, that thought made her feel sad.

“Listen,” Hagrid said eventually, clearing his throat. “What you three did tonight… tryin’ ter steal the sword and all. It was brave, but you got to be more careful. It’s bad enough standing by watching all _those two_ get up to….”

“You don’t have to lecture us, Hagrid,” Ginny said. “We know what we’re doing. We’re not first years anymore.”

“It’s very sweet to know you’re worried about us,” Luna said calmly. “I’m glad we were sent to you for punishment.”

“Yeah, thanks Hagrid!” Neville piped up. “Sure beats the Cruciatus Curse, anyway. This is like being on vacation.”

“Thanks, Hagrid,” Ginny echoed, grimacing. “We’ll be more careful from now on, okay?”

“Course you will,” Hagrid huffed, wiping an eye and jumping to his feet. “Don’t thank me—just doin’ my job, I’m a teacher, was anyway—I’m goin’ ter… get some more firewood.”

Another soft round of “Thanks, Hagrid,” and then the tromp and crackle of his huge boots receded into the darkness.

Neville slid off the log and leaned against it, head lolled back in exhaustion. “All night we were up finishing up the plan to get that sword and we still got caught. But at least we gave Snape a good scare, eh?” He grinned weakly.

Ginny laughed. “Yeah. I’ll never forget the look on his face when he walked into the office and saw us holding it.”

“He was rather shocked, wasn’t he?” Luna mused, smiling to herself.

“You were brilliant, Ginny,” Neville said brightly. “That diversion you set up really did the trick. If only Snape hadn’t caught on….”

“It was all Luna,” Ginny said generously, putting an arm around her and shaking her once in congratulation. “Actual wrackspurts! I can’t believe your dad managed to smuggle them in. How did he even find so many?”

“We’re experts at finding rare magical creatures,” Luna reminded her. “Daddy’s been doing it for ages, of course. You should come visit this summer and see for yourself.”

Ginny looked startled for a minute, then grinned slowly. “I’d like that. I bet Harry would too.” Her grin faded and she stared at the fire, no doubt wondering where Harry was now.

Neville smiled up at Luna, hands laced over his chest. “Can I come?”

“Of course!”

“Well, at least _ther_ e’s something to look forward to.” Neville closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed. Luna wondered if he was hoping to fall asleep like that. Sleeping didn’t sound too bad right now. But Ginny had withdrawn the arm she’d put around Luna, and was still staring into the fire with hands clasped.

“It’s nice to pretend that we know everything is going to be okay next year,” Luna said, realizing even as she said it that Ginny might not be comforted as she intended. So she reached over and placed a hand on both of Ginny’s. “I hope it does turn out that way.”

Ginny started at the touch and laughed a little. “Me too. Do you think Harry’s alright?”

“If You-Know-Who found him, he would probably want to tell everyone right away.”

Ginny looked down at Luna’s hand still resting on hers. “Yeah. You’re right.” She took Luna’s hand in both of hers and squeezed it. “Thanks, Luna.”

“You’re welcome.”

They sat like that for a few minutes. Ginny continued to stare off, rubbing a thumb absent-mindedly across the back of Luna’s hand. Luna leaned against her a little. It was warmer that way.

“Do you think, when this is all over,” Ginny blurted. “I mean, if things turn out alright… do you reckon Harry will still want me to be his girlfriend?”

“I don’t know,” Luna shrugged one shoulder. “But I’m sure we’ll all still be friends.”

“Well, yeah, of course, I just—” Ginny laughed nervously. “Well, it feels silly to worry about something like that when we could all die tomorrow. Sorry—you’re probably not even interested in this sort of thing, are you?”

“No,” Luna said, smiling a little.

“Oh,” Ginny said, looking oddly deflated and fidgeting even more.

“I don’t think it’s silly,” Luna clarified. “It’s nice to be important to someone. You can talk to me about whatever you like. You’re important to me. And if it’s secret, I won’t tell anyone.”

Ginny’s fidgeting went still and she gave Luna a grateful half-grin. “Thanks. I mean, I understand we’ve got to keep priorities straight. Saving the world comes before love and all that. Of course I know that. I know why Harry had to go off on his own. But sometimes I just wonder what I’ll do if he dies, you know?”  Ginny cut off to swallow a lump in her throat. “Not just because I love him but also because what if he was our only hope against Vol—against You-Know-Who? Ugh, it’s better just to not even think about it.”

“It would be very sad if he died,” Luna agreed in a faint tone. “But I think there’s always something you can do. And I would still be here for you. Unless I died too. But maybe we shouldn’t think about that either.”

“Yes, let’s not,” Ginny laughed tearfully.

Luna felt a tension in her stomach beyond the usual levels of anxiety which were fairly normal for everyone at Hogwarts these days. She wanted to do something to help Ginny feel better.

“Would you like it if I gave you a hug?” she asked suddenly.

Ginny hesitated only a moment before blurting, “yes please.” She put her arms around Luna’s neck and Luna wrapped hers around Ginny’s middle. After a moment she started rubbing her hands up and down a little bit, like her father sometimes did for her when she was younger.

“I love you,” Luna said simply, the moment the words arose in her mind. It seemed the best way to say it. She didn’t let herself hesitate. Her father always said it was best to be straightforward.

Ginny laughed a startled little laugh, and sniffed. “Er, thanks. You too.”

“I think you’re my best friend,” Luna mused. “You and Harry have always been so nice to me.”

“Not always.” Ginny sounded embarrassed. “I used to call you Looney Lovegood, remember?”

“Yes, I remember. But you stopped.”

Ginny was quiet for a minute, just resting in Luna’s arms, sniffing occasionally. Her neck was pressed against the side of Luna’s face. Eventually she pulled away and Luna let go as Ginny sat back, wiping her eyes.

“Have you ever wanted  a boyfriend, Luna?” She snorted. “Listen to us, talking about something like this while we’re hiding in the woods and everything’s going to pieces at Hogwarts. I guess it just feels nice to have a conversation like a normal girl once in a while.”

Luna smiled. “I had a boyfriend once. When I was nine. But then I realized that I don’t like kissing.”

Ginny laughed, a real laugh this time. “I’m sure you’d change your mind if you kissed someone who wasn’t nine years old.”

“Maybe. It just seems awfully uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s very nice, actually,” Ginny said, blushing. “Well, with the right person. I don’t suppose… I’ve never thought to ask. Have you ever been on a date with someone?”

“No… Harry asked me to go to Professor Slughorn’s party with him once, as friends. It was lovely.” Luna beamed at the memory of him asking her. “That was the first time anybody had ever asked me to a party before, as a friend. I mean, I was invited to your brother’s wedding, of course, but that’s a bit different, isn’t it?”

“Yes, a bit,” Ginny grinned. “If you could take anybody to a party, who would it be? Assuming everything is normal again.”

“Well, I suppose it would probably be you or Harry, wouldn’t it?” Luna looked up thoughtfully at the night sky, just visible in the scattered spaces between the trees. “But if I had to choose one, I think I would choose you. And not just because I already went to a party with Harry.”

“Oh, I meant not as friends.”

“I know,” Luna said, and when she brought her eyes back down the grin on Ginny’s face faltered. “Don’t worry,” she said quickly. “I don’t want to kiss you. That would be silly. I just love you and Harry very much.”

Ginny’s look of consternation softened into something Luna hoped was fondness. “That’s… sweet, Luna.”

“You’re….” For once Luna couldn’t think of exactly the right words. “You’re like my family.” She wanted to say more, tell Ginny that she hoped they were always this close. But her usual frankness was beginning to fail her, and all she could manage was, “I’m glad we’re here together.”

Hopefully that encompassed all she felt about the past year at Hogwarts, and all the years beforehand where Ginny had been there to defend her once the initial teasing had turned to friendship. She knew that if and when Harry defeated Voldemort and things got back to normal, Ginny would want to marry him, because Ginny and Harry were the type to get married. Luna wasn’t sure that she was, but… was it unlikely to imagine that she and Ginny would stay as close as they had been, regardless of all that? Just as unlikely as the existence of Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, some might say, but Luna already knew how to handle skeptics. And uncertainty.

“I’m glad too,” Ginny said.

And just as they had all been doing throughout this entire war… Luna set aside her doubts for one more day. There was no use worrying over the future when today might be all they’d ever have.

 

 

 


End file.
